May Day Baskets!…DIY #4 project

I can’t even believe myself right now, it’s the middle of April and I’m actually getting my DIY post out before the end of the month. Woot! Woot!

This month we’re going to work through a DIY that will be for the benefit of next month—May Day Baskets!!

Anyone remember those?

I felt like I needed to do some research and provide just a bit of background info on these little “forgotten” about gems and here’s what I found out:

According to NPR.org May Day Baskets used to be quite a thing with a history clear back to the ancient European pagan festival of spring known as Beltane. When the continent became more Christianized some of the more rowdy aspects of the celebration faded out with May Baskets managing to remain.

Interesting right?

In the 19th and 20th centuries May Day Baskets made their appearance in the United States signifying and celebrating the welcoming of Spring time. A person would collect goodies in a basket and then secretly deliver them to a neighbor’s door on May 1 as a special treat.

In some communities May Baskets provided a chance to show romantic interest. The giver would place the basket at the door, knock and run off…however if the receiver was able to catch the “basket-hanger” it was a chance to steal a kiss from him or her.

In more recent decades, for whatever reason, May Day Baskets have lost their luster.

I’ve joked in years past that May Baskets should be a thing again because maybe when they faded out is when the world got so messed up and maybe if they made a come-back the world would be a little bit brighter…super far stretch from reality but we could try!!

Here’s what you’ll need if you’re interested:

A basket of some sort (even a paper handmade cone-shaped one will do)

Flowers

Candies

Here are some examples our family came up with:

For neighbors with kids we put in a box of crayons and printed off some coloring pages, added fun-size packages of skittles, a packet of Kool-Aid mix, flower seeds, little Easter ink stamps, and a bottle of bubbles.

For neighbors with no kids or widowed we included bags of tea, flower seed packets, hard candies, and we’ll add fresh-cut flowers (the day of) if my flower garden cooperates.

I also had some little plastic cards that have a scripture printed on one side and then a note of encouragement on the backside and I included one card per basket.The Easter candy, ink stamps, crayons, and bubbles came from Walmart at 50% off since it’s after the Easter holiday, so the total for everything was under $10 and we’ll have plenty to cover our seven baskets.

A good finishing touch would be to simply tie/attach a note stating Happy May Day!

OK and if I didn’t mention Coronavirus I guess it would feel uncanny to me so with that I would suggest this year (out of respect for your neighbors etc) to maybe include an extra note on the outside of the basket reading something like this:

Happy May Day! Here is a gift for you filled with goodies and cheer; if you have any concern over germs please leave this basket sitting outdoors for three days before bringing into your home! Wishing you a very Happy Spring!

**And I realize some of you live in places that are in strict quarantine where delivering May Day Baskets wouldn’t be an option this year. In that case you could always find a ‘flower meme’ and text it to a friend, neighbor, or family member, with the words ‘Happy May Day, thinking of you!!’**

Once you’ve decorated and filled your basket(s) wait until May 1st and then deliver to your neighbor’s doorstep…ring the doorbell or knock…and then take off!

Most people probably won’t be familiar with the tradition of the kissing part so I don’t think you’ll need to worry about that, but just in case maybe you should wear your running shoes!

Have fun and enjoy!!

Matthew 22:39 says, “…love your neighbor as yourself.”

We’re limited to what we can do these days so I hope you’ll join me in creating a May Day Basket, letting your neighbor know they’re loved and being thought of!

**and don’t forget to message me and let me know if you end up making one or if you have extra ideas for treats and goodies to fill them.

Other DIYs:

Morse Code Bracelets

Hanging Rope Shelf

Farmhouse Coffee Mug Holder

Author: alimw2013

About For His Purpose~ My name is Alicia and I'm a thirty-something year old who loves Jesus. Only through God’s amazing grace and mercy I have been redeemed from past regret and shame. Reading His word has allowed me to look past Satan’s forceful lies, to see myself for who Christ says I am in Him. Through writing I have learned why I made the choices I made in my younger years and I now have a better understanding of why I desire to love God like crazy these days. Despite my daily failures, God remains faithful always. I am reassured of His unconditional love for me by every ink-drop spilled out on paper, each committed prayer as I cry out to Him, and deep understanding reflected through reading His word as truth. Yes keeping a blog will make me vulnerable to others’ opinions- there will be some who don’t understand, some who may criticize or judge, but on the other hand if just one piece expressed through my writing grabs someone’s attention and directs them to God, then pouring out my heart in a blog for the world to read is worth it. I choose to glorify Him alone through words streaming across a glowing screen. And it wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t reveal the fact that I’m incredibly quirky; I’m my loving husband’s best friend, my vivacious kids’ craziest cheerleader and spiritual trainer (3 John 1:4). I love anything farmhouse and rustic style. I think cupping a warm coffee mug in the palm of my hands is more satisfying than the contents within. I share a common obsession with my husband for the mountains, but I would (without a doubt) settle for waves crashing against my legs at the Atlantic Ocean just as well, and I almost always have a Yorkie curled up on my lap while writing. *All photos are photographed by forhispurpose.blog and therefore may not be stored or photocopied in any manner.

31 thoughts on “May Day Baskets!…DIY #4 project”

    1. Thanks lady!! I do have an Etsy shop for my jewelry!
      I wanted to put a link in this post so that people could print off the Happy May Day Basket cards or the coronavirus explanation cards but I couldn’t figure out how to do it and link it to my Microsoft word file so I had to settle with simple LOL

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    1. Lol I can’t believe you hadn’t heard of them!! In fact some of the research/articles I read on them reminded me of your posts with bits of history you dish out to us as your readers!!

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  5. Very nice! A very sweet idea. I never heard of May Day baskets. It really did die out! It does sound like a very sweet gesture to bring back to life. ❤ Great post, Ali!

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  9. Wow, Alicia. Those are pretty nice and thoughtful. They should be back in.
    Good of you to think of that note for the neighbor over germs.
    Stay safe and well. God loves you!
    Oh and I have nominated you for the Mystery Blogger Award. Please do not feel obligated to participate. Let me know if you do so I can read it. Take all the time you need. God believes in you!
    https://gaillovesgod.blog/2020/04/18/mystery-blogger-award-4-12-2020/

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    1. Thanks! They were fun, we’re looking forward to passing them out!!
      I’ve been surprised by the number of people who aren’t familiar with May Day baskets. I grew up by a lady who was very creative and she’s the one who introduced me to them when I was a little girl but at the time I thought everyone participated in May Day Basket giving 😅

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